A Decision Support Tool for Rapid Assessment and Selection of Engineered Equipment Suppliers

Procurement of long lead engineered equipment is a complex process which requires the evaluation of several suppliers and project targets. This analysis is usually performed manually, takes long time and certain tradeoffs may be overlooked. This paper describes the development of a decision support tool which aims to integrate market forecasting or historical data on supplier performance with procurement targets. A supplier selection module uses the Aspiration Interactive Method (AIM) for providing rapid tradeoff analysis and points how each supplier is ranked in relation to the expected targets. The tool has been developed in Visual C#, in the form of simple and intuitive forms, with Microsoft Access as the back-end database. According to experienced managers, this tool brings intelligence to the traditional selection process. The ability to quickly generate what-if scenarios based on real data improves the quality of decision making and supports the selection of suppliers in the early phases of capital projects.